How We Handle Nervous Nellies

Not every dog loves leaving the comfort of their home to come see the groomers. Sometimes, these dogs don’t like to leave the comfort of their homes for anything! While we all picture a happy-go-lucky, head-out-the-window, tongue-flapping-in-the-breeze dog when we think of taking our canine companions on a road trip, this isn’t always the case. (I live with two dogs who hate the ride but love the destination! Go figure!)

Nervous dogs exist. Some are nervous to the point of needing meds to help them through their daily lives while their people work with them to accept the world around them. Others can just be a little anxious when things change. All Nervous Nellies deserve a little extra kindness and understanding, which we definitely provide!

Most dogs will act like a nervous wreck when they walk into the salon. They are in a place they have a serious love/hate relationship with. They love seeing the groomers. They love the extra attention they get. They love how they feel afterwards. But then there is the bath, the kennel, the dryer, and the actual haircut process that they might not care for as much. Don’t even talk to them about nail clips! It is not uncommon for your pets to shake, shiver, and hide behind you when you drop them off. They play it up for their parents! They make it look like this is the most horrible place you possibly could have brought them too, maybe even worse than the V-E-T! However, as soon as you leave, most dogs will do a complete 180. They whine and cry as you walk out and down the steps. As soon as you are out of sight, the fussing stops, they turn to look at us, and they say “Hey! Hi! How are you?! I missed you!”

There is a small group of dogs who don’t have this turn around though. They might not fuss quite as much as when you are in the lobby, but they still act quite nervous even though they have been in to see us a dozen times. What do we do with these Nervous Nellies?

Well, we treat them much the same as we do every other dog! Nervous dogs need to learn to have confidence in themselves and in the world around them. Many times a nervous dog is not one that has been abused or had a bad experience with a groomer in the past. It is a dog who has been under-socialized. They didn’t get key experiences at the right times during their development. Or it could be that they suffer from chronic anxiety and depression just the same as many humans do. By not coddling them, cooing at them, and baby talking them, we can slowly start to help them know that grooming is no big deal!

Wait. Why no baby talk and extra cuddles? Isn’t that going to help the dog feel more secure?

Yes and no. There is no hard and fast answer. For some dogs, and extra snuggle will make them feel safe and sheltered. Other dogs will feel restricted and trapped. High pitched baby talk can have a similar effect. Some dogs will react positively because it is something they are used to at home and associate with good things. Others might associate high voices with small children which might make them even more nervous. Some dogs will also view this sort of treatment as a positive reward for acting fearful. They shake, they get extra attention. They cry and jump at their mom’s ankles, they get picked up and snuggled. Dogs are incredibly smart and can very easily manipulate humans into giving them what they want! While it is not entirely possible to reinforce the fear the dog might be feeling (rewarding fear does not make for a more fearful dog), rewarding the behaviors does mean that the dog will likely continue showing them!

Nervous dogs will always be handled with care and consideration. If they react in a truly nervous manner to anything such as the clippers being turned on, their feet being picked up, or even the grooming loops being put over their head, we step back and modify what we are doing. Nellie hit the roof when we turned on the clippers? We turn them off, distract her with a few pets and ear rubs, then turn the clippers on further away while also giving her positive attention. Now the clipper noise can be associated with good things like ear scratches! We might turn the clippers off and let Nellie sniff them, showing her that there is nothing to be scared of before moving them away and turning them on again. After a few repeats, most dogs will figure out that there is nothing to worry about. If Nellie tries to yank her paws away from us, we hold them gently while talking softly to her. We rub and massage her paw. As soon as she stops pulling, we let go and tell her she is a good girl. We don’t want to teach her that yanking away fearfully is going to give her what she wants. We want her to know that calm behavior is better! If putting her head through the loops causes her to panic, we will pick her up for a moment until she calms down and then put the loop over her while we hold her. She gets the reassurance she needs while we can put on the needed equipment to keep her safe.

Things like the bath and dryer can be hard for even the most well adjusted dogs. Being nervous by nature, Nellie is likely to have problems with one or both of them! We adjust the water temperature, pressure, and sprayer settings until we find something she will tolerate. It could be the shower setting and warmer water or the soaker setting with cooler water. If it takes an extra minute to rinse her because she doesn’t like higher water pressure, so be it. We can always start low and raise the pressure slowly until it is at a rate that makes it quicker and easier to wash her coat. Nerves for the dryer can be reduced by placing cotton balls in her ears, wrapping her head in a happy hoodie, using only one dryer engine, or just not using the dryer at all! While the high velocity dryer makes drying faster and makes the final groom look better, if Nellie is that nervous and fearful about it, we will just skip that step. We can let her dry in a kennel with a fan or kennel dryer and then fluff her up with our smaller stand dryer before her final cut.

Speaking of kennels, what if Nellie hates to be kenneled? What do we do then? Again, there are a few options we will try. First of all, we have two main types of kennels we use. One is the kennel bank which has solid sides, top, and back with a wire grate floor. These kennels have wire front doors so the dogs can see out but not to the sides and back. Some dogs prefer these as they feel safer and more secure in a “den.” The second type of kennel we have is wire crates. These are the crates with a solid tray on the bottom but open wire sides and tops. Some dogs feel better about being able to see all around them so they know what is going on. If we put Nellie in a wire kennel and she panics, we might try placing her in the kennel bank just to see if she feels better. Some dogs like to have a towel to sit on. We can arrange that too. If neither of those options work, depending on the day, we can try placing her in an exercise pen in the grooming area with us. This is made from just wire panels. It is larger than a kennel and has not top on it. Some dogs like it. Some dogs don’t because they are still enclosed. If none of these options work, we will talk to you about doing an express type groom where we groom Nellie straight through without stopping. This type of groom only works if she accepts either the HV dryer or the stand dryer though!

A nervous dog might also benefit from being groomed on a quieter day. While we cannot ever guarantee what days will be quiet and which days won’t, we can at least make more of an effort to not book dogs we know to be barkers on days with dogs we know to be nervous. In other words, we will make an effort to try! If Nellie’s appointments are pre-booked, it will be even easier to control who is there with her. She might benefit from being the first dog of the day or one of the last. We will always make the effort to figure out what works best for her!

While we modify our techniques for each dog, we will always make an extra effort for nervous dogs. We want them to know that the grooming salon is nothing to be worried about. They might take a little extra time, require a few extra breaks, or even require frequent, short visits to get used to it all, but we will always make every effort to help them feel happy and confident through the entire process!

No Sedated Dogs!

We have all heard of That Dog. The one that maybe lives next door and never has a very pretty hair cut. The one that gets way too long before being shaved way down. The one that screams bloody murder for being brushed. The one that turns into Cujo when it’s nails or feet are touched. That dog that has been kicked out of every salon in the area and now must go to their vet twice a year for a fully sedated groom. We might have thoughts like “Well the groomer clearly didn’t try hard enough,” “All dogs can be trained!,” or “You just need to find the right groomer!”

The truth is that by the time a dog is to the point of a sedated groom, the groomers have tried many, many, many times. They have tried different times, different techniques, different frequencies for grooming. They have tried using different tools. They have tried getting assistance. They have tried grooming when there are no other dogs in the salon. They have tried having their coworker groom the dog since sometimes dogs and people just don’t click for many reasons. If they are a good groomer, they have likely tired more things than you can think of trying to gain this dog’s trust and find that one magical key to getting them groomed. And while most dogs can indeed be retrained for grooming with time and patience, many will also need a little extra medical help in order to get there. That is where sedation comes in.

“Sedation” can be anything from a mood altering medication like Prozac to help lessen anxiety to Trazadone which, while it is an antidepressant, has the benefit of making dogs sleepy, to Acepromazine which can tranquilize an animal for 6-8 hours. Sedation can even include full anesthesia at the veterinarian’s office. It all depends on the dog. A dog who is just scared might benefit from the Prozac or Trazadone. A dog who is full on aggressive might need the Acepromazine or full anesthesia.

At TLC Pet Services, we have decided that we will not groom any dogs who take any prescribed medications for the sole purpose of grooming. If your dog takes Prozac on a daily basis for general anxiety, that is acceptable since you are likely to already know any possible side affects and can let us know about them. If your dog takes Tramadol for pain and they end up sleepy, we don’t want you to not give it, but we might ask you to ask your vet about changing the dose on a groom day to avoid the sleepies. Daily medications, even if they are or can be used for the purposes of altering moods and sedation, are okay as long as you let us know what they take, when they often take it, and any side affects you have noticed. We don’t want anyone skipping daily meds just to get groomed after all!

The reason we do not groom sedated dogs is safety. While many, many groomers out there will groom sedated dogs, the risks often far outweigh the benefits. Every dog reacts differently to drugs. Some dogs will seem sleepy and woozy but then snap and become extra violent, lashing out without giving any warning signs. They might loose any bite inhibition they have, resulting in worse injuries for the groomer or even for themselves. Some dogs will fight through the sedative, causing the unpredictable behaviors. They might suddenly start thrashing around, trying to escape from the grooming loops and table, resulting in injuries to themselves and their groomers. There are heavier sedatives out there that might be prescribed if others have not worked. These can cause the dog to be completely aware of what is going on but be unable to react to the stimuli. How scary would it be for you if you were terrified of a vacuum cleaner and someone then gave you a drug, waited for it to kick in, then started vacuuming around you? You are 100% aware of the noise and the sensation. You are still terrified. But, you can’t do anything about it. You are not likely to react well next time someone brings a vacuum near you while you aren’t sedated!

Without professionally trained staff and equipment to monitor even lightly sedated dogs, we will have no way of knowing if your dog is staggering on the table because the medication is working or if it is because they are experiencing a medical emergency. The signs of a heart attack, seizure, or breathing problem might be reduced or not even present because the sedative is masking them. By the time the signs are clear, it might be too late for your pet. Even if we are fortunate to see the signs early on, we still have to rush your dog from the salon, to our cars, and then to the nearest vet who can help us. It will take a minimum of 5 minutes to get to the vet. Those 5 minutes could mean the difference between a healthy recovery and one with complications or even the death of the pet.

Even if your pet does not experience a medical emergency under sedation (which is most likely to be the case), their behavior can be a challenge. A sedated dog is a wobbly dog. They sway and stagger. They might randomly fall over. They move unpredictably. It is much more likely that your dogs is going to step into our clippers or shears and receive an accidental nick or cut. They might end up with bumps and bruises from accidentally staggering toward the edge of the table and stepping off. It is much, much harder to achieve a decent groom on a head that is always lolling to one side or the other. It is also much, much more dangerous to groom a lolling head as an eye might suddenly be where the shears are supposed to be!

So what should you do if your pet needs sedation for a groom? Talk to your vet! Not every office will provide sedated grooming but they will likely know which offices in the area do. Depending on how bad the dog is for grooming, some vets will provide fully sedated shave downs even if they do not provide regular grooming services. They are not pretty grooms but they are functional!

We never want to reach a point where we have to dismiss your dog from our salon. It causes us as much distress as it causes you! However, if we ever tell you that you need to talk to your vet about a sedated groom, please remember that we have your pet’s best interest at heart. We want them to be safe and happy. We hope that with time, effort, and retraining, they can reach a point where they can come back to see us in the future!

(Hypothetically) There Has Been An Emergency! This Is What We Will Do For Your Pet!

You brought your pup to the groomer. You expect to get a call in a few hours telling you Prince is all ready to come home. Instead, you get the call no one wants to hear or even make: there has been an accident.

We strive to be the safest salon there can possibly be. We take great care and caution when working with your pets. After all, these are little living beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and moods. Bad days can happen to pets just as much as they can happen to people. We pay close attention to their moods and feelings so we can anticipate how the groom is going to go and if Prince needs a few extra breaks on any given day.

In the event of an emergency, there are certain steps we will take to ensure Prince gets the correct care. First of all, the injury will receive a fast assessment. Is anything bleeding? How severe is it? Is it a scratch on the surface in a sensitive area? Is it a small nick on a mole or wart? Was there already a scab we accidentally opened up? Or is it a fresh, deep cut? Is there any injury at all or has Prince simply collapsed? Is he having a seizure? Is he not breathing? What is wrong?

As with humans, there are some minor injuries that require only a band-aid and monitoring. A quicked nail hardly bothers most dogs and can easily be “fixed” with stypic powder AKA Quick Stop or even cornstarch or flour at home. A weeping wart is a skin issue that can open easily. Sometimes they soften and open in the bath tub. Sometimes they open just by the dog bumping them on something! These generally require no more than a quick cleaning and time to scab over before we continue grooming. (If you know of any bumps or warts on your pet, feel free to remind us of where they are and definitely let us know about any new ones you find so we can watch out for them!) Much like a weeping wart, a pre-existing scab can sometimes soften and fall off during the bath, leading to possible redness or even bleeding. Sometimes, a small scratch on a spot of dry skin or in a sensitive area can look horrible but in reality just needs a little time to settle down. We are not vets nor do we pretend to be! When it comes to minor lumps, bumps, dings, and pre-existing wounds, we will always advise you of what we found and let you know how we would proceed with our own pets. Should you feel that you want a vet’s opinion on the matter, we will be happy to help you with that as well. Remember, we will never, ever hide anything from you nor will we ever lie about it. If we caused a minor scratch on Prince’s belly because he zigged and we zagged while combing him, we will own up to it and let you know! If the wart above Prince’s eye started oozing in the tub again, just like it has done every other time he has been in, we will still let you know. If we found a bump with a small scab on his neck under his collar area during his blow out, we will let you know and even show it to you if we can find it again.

If the injury is something more serious, a cut caused by the shears or clippers, an accidental poke to the eye with a slicker brush, or even a quicked nail that will not stop bleeding, fast action is required. We will not hesitate to wrap a bleeding injury in a clean towel and whisk Prince away to a vet’s office. We keep a small travel carrier in the back atop our kennel bank. It is easily accessible in even the most dire emergency. Prince will be placed in the safety of the carrier before heading straight to one of our own personal vehicles. Larger dogs will be leashed to the seats in our vehicles to prevent any escapes. We have worked hard to build a relationship with several area veterinarians. These are vets we take our own pets to as well as local vets who have offered to help us whenever we need them.

We will do the same thing if Prince appears to be suffering for any medical condition. If he has collapsed and is not breathing, we will rush him to the vet as fast as we safely can. If he appears to be having a seizure that shows no signs of stopping, we will rush him to the vet as fast as we safely can. If he is having a hard time breathing, standing, if he appears to be “loopy” and out of it. Anything out of the ordinary, Prince will be rushed to the vet.

We will call you immediately using your primary contact, your secondary contact, and even your emergency contact numbers. In fact, as soon as one groomer is aware of the problem, the other will be calling first a vet to notify them of the situation and then you, the owners, will be called. We will leave a message at each number but we also will not stop trying to reach you until we either get you or we reach someone who knows where you are. We will stay at the vet with Prince until you arrive. If you or someone you know is unable to go to the vet to be with Prince, we will stay with him. If the vet says Prince needs to stay in their care for a little while until you can pick them up, we will update you and either wait for you at the vet’s office if you want us to or return to the salon knowing that Prince is in the best possible care. If you cannot get there and the vet says Prince is okay to go home, we will update you and bring him back to the salon with us.

Have you noticed the certificate on the wall by the door? Our owner, Stacey, is certified in pet first aid and CPR! Every two years, she completes a course and renews her certificate, making sure she is up to date with any new information out there so you can be confident that Prince is safe in her salon. This summer, Jess will also be earning her certificate! We feel that keeping up to date with this type of learning is, though not mandatory in the industry, essential for any and all personnel who work with and around animals. Should we ever hire another groomer or bather, they too will complete courses and earn their certificates if they do not already have one. By taking hands-on learning, you can be sure that we have practiced the skills needed in the event of an emergency.

How about the framed posters above our leash holders? Have you noticed those? Wonder what they are? These posters are basic first aid reminders. In the event of an emergency, these posters hold vital information on how to do certain things such as help a dog who is choking, the steps for CPR, how to make an emergency muzzle, and even how to recognize and stop various types of bleeding. While our CPR and first aid certification training covers these topics and more, Stacey feels that the reminders need to be there for everyone to see just in case. We all forget things sometimes, especially when we are stressed! These posters are small reminders about how to help the pets in our care should we ever need to.

Please know that even a minor incident like quicked nails can upset even the most battle hardened groomers! We never want anything bad to happen to any pet left in our care. Accidents make us feel like we are the worst groomers on the planet. They can make us question our entire career path. When I say we feel awful, it hardly describes the sinking, horrible feeling. If we have had to rush your pet to a vet for any type of an emergency, even one not caused by a groomer, we are likely to be crying and feeling just as low as we can possibly feel!

As always, if you ever have any questions about any of our emergency protocols, about who we would take your vet to in case of an emergency, or how we might handle a specific emergency, please do not hesitate to ask! We take great pride in what we do. We always want you to feel comfortable with us and our salon!

Fleas and Ticks: Start Now To Avoid Infestations This Spring!

With spring on the way, it is time to start thinking more about fleas and ticks, especially if your pet is not on a preventative during the colder months.

Missouri’s wacky weather means it does not always get cold enough for long enough to really kill off any fleas and ticks that could be lurking in our yards. It is a good idea to keep your pet on some sort of preventative year round for this reason.

Even if your pet is on a preventative, the spring pest boom can mean that they still have a few problems. The very best way to prevent a full on infestation is to check your pet and your home constantly for unwanted visitors.

The fastest way to check your pet for fleas is to use a fine toothed flea comb. The teeth on these combs are spaced so closely that fleas and flea dirt cannot slip through them. The downfall is that if your pet has a very long or dense coat, you may not be able to get down to their skin but we will cover that in just a minute. Using the flea comb, make a single swipe from the base of your pet’s neck all the way down to the base of their tail. Upon looking at the comb, you will hopefully see nothing more than a few stray hairs. You may, however, see a live flea or two or just small, black specks. If you see a flea, talk to your vet immediately about the best ways to get rid of them. If you only see specks, you will have to do a little more detective work. Tap the specks onto a white paper towel. Add a few drops of water directly over the specks and wait. If nothing happens, these are probably just little flakes of dirt your pet has picked up by rolling around. I know mine love to roll in the dirt and often have me questioning! If the specks start to dissolve and turn a rusty reddish color, it is flea poop AKA flea dirt. This means there are fleas on your pet, even if you can’t find any with the comb.

For your longer and thicker haired pets, if you cannot get a comb down to their skin or through their coat, part the hair at the base of their tail. This is the most common place to find flea dirt. If you see those tell tale black specks, try to pick a few off and do the paper towel experiment. The belly is another common place to see live fleas. If you flip your pet on their back, you may catch a glimpse of a flea or two scuttling away to safety. You may also notice small red bumps where fleas have been biting them. These can be present anywhere on the pet but are easiest to see on the belly.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to find something, you won’t and your pet will still be scratching at their necks or chewing on their legs and hind quarters. This might be a sign of fleas but it could also be a sign of a skin or joint problem. If you have any doubts at all, talk to your vet. 

Should your pet have fleas on them, it is almost guaranteed that you have fleas in your home. The life cycle of a flea goes through four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult. While most products will kill larval and adult fleas, the eggs and pupae can be harder to eliminate. This can cause a vicious cycle where you have treated your pets and your home, you don’t see any more live fleas, the itching has stopped so you breath a sigh of relief and relax. Six weeks later, your pet is once again chewing on their hind quarters and there are more adult fleas! The infestation is not back. It has simply continued because the recent crop of eggs and pupae survived. When treating your home, approach it as though the home is infected for at least three months, even if you are not seeing any live fleas. Keep your pets up to date on their preventatives. Wash their bedding constantly in the hottest water possible. Use sprays, bombs, and powders on a regular basis. Or, call an exterminator. The benefit of spending all the money on an exterminator is that they will likely guarantee their work. If the fleas come back in six to eight weeks, the exterminator will return to fix the problem. Even if your pet has never had fleas and shows no sign of fleas, make a habit of checking their bed regularly. You may spot some flea dirt or even dead adult fleas. Dead adults can mean that their preventative is working but there may be a bigger flea problem in your home or yard than you think!

To further combat the issues, you may want to have your yard treated as well. However, keep in mind that while you will be killing the fleas and ticks, you may also be killing beneficial insects as well. In the case of an extreme infestation, there may be no other choice of course.

Ticks can be harder to track down and eliminate since they are not as mobile on your pets as fleas are. Ticks prefer areas with easy access and/or high blood flow. Common places to find ticks are the groin, feet, lower legs, armpits, chest, and around the face and ears. Many times, you can find ticks on your pet simply by patting them. If you feel a lump, part the fur and check it out. If you find ticks, you can remove them carefully with tweezers or with various tick “key” type products available at most store. After removing ticks, keep an eye on the bites. Watch for changes in bite size, skin color, skin temperature, and to be sure any raised lumps are not getting larger. If you have any doubt as to whether or not something is normal, have your pet checked out by a veterinarian. If you have found a large number of ticks on your pet, it is a good idea to have a vet check them out anyway since ticks can carry some gnarly diseases!

To help keep ticks at bay, keep all tall grasses and brush mowed down in areas your pet frequents. Be sure their preventative covers ticks as well, especially if they run in the woods and fields. Did you know that Virginia Opossums eat ticks in your yard? If you have a friendly neighborhood possum, don’t chase it off! Allow it to hunt through your yard at night! You’ll have fewer bugs in the long run!

As the weather yo-yos toward warmer temperatures, keep your eyes open and be proactive! Help your pet, your family, and your groomers have a comfortable spring by preventing any infestations before they start!